Pole-support.



T. HAINBS.

201.2: SUPPORT. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, 1908.

Patented May 25, 1909.

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T. HAINES.

' POLE SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.12,1908.

Patented May 25, 1909.

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THOMAS HAINES, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

POLE-SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1909.

Application filed February 12, 1908. Serial No. 4=15,524.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS HAINEs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pole-Supports, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pole supports for vehicles and is intended more particularly for use in fire department service.

It has for its principal objects to facilitate the rapid hitching of a pole team, and, more particularly, a three-horse hitch; and, further, to attain certain advantages hereinafter more fully appearing.

To facilitate the rapid hitching of three horse teams in fire department service, it is customary to pivotally mount the draft poles in the hounds, and to support one of the pair of poles in a raised position, so that the middle horse may easily and quickly get into position to be harnessed and hitched. The usual devices for supporting the poles are weighted to counterbalance or slightly overbalance the pole, and they are provided with a catch arranged to be automatically released from the pole when the same is lowered to a nearly horizontal position. These devices do not always positively release the pole at the proper time and frequently an attendant has to unfasten the catch by hand, thereby causing delay. So, too, the pole is liable to be released prematurely, thereby occasionally causing damage or injury to the attendant. Furthermore, the tripping device for the catch is usually pivotally or slidably attached thereto, and said tripping device is also attached to the end of a flexible cord or rigging which is suspended from a fixed point independently of the counterbalancing support. This rigging with the pole supporting cable forms a loop which sometimes becomes entangled with or catches upon some projecting portion of the apparatus when the same is pulled firolm the house, thereby causing damage or M j invention overcomes the foregoing disadvantages.

It consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur, Figure l is a side elevation showing a portion of the draft gear of a vehicle, com prising two poles arranged for a threehorse hitch, one of said poles being shown in raised position; Fig. 2 is a detail view of a counterbalancing pole supporting device; Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing a pole in raised position; Fig. 4 is a similar view, partly in section, showing the pole in lowered position; Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of a weighted eye-member adapted to cooperate with a catch mounted on the pole and, Fig. 6 is a detail view of the catch, its supporting bracket, securing strap, and cooperating keeper, the partsbeing detached.

In. Fig. 1 of the drawings a portion of a front wheel 1 of a vehicle is shown. Pivotally mounted in the frame or hound 2 is a pair of draft poles 3, 4, one of which, namely, the near pole 3, is shown in raised position. This raised pole is supported by a counterbalancing device comprising a flexible cord or cable 5 which extends over elevated pulleys 6, 7, respectively.. These pulleys 6 and 7 are preferably suspended from the ceiling or some suitable framework in convenient relation to the poles 3 and 4, so that one end of said cord 5 may be suspended in a vertical line with the particular pole to be raised. The rear end portion 8 of the cord 5 is attached to a weight 9. This weight is provided with lateral perforated ears or lugs 10 which are loosely fitted to vertical guide rods 11 so that said weight may slide vertically thereon. The opposite end portion 12 of the cord 5 depends from the pulley 7 and has secured thereon a weighted loop or eyemember 13. Preferably this eye-member comprises a spherical portion and a slightly bent tongue portion 14 having an eye or perforation 15 therein. Mounted on each of the poles 3, 4, is a sliding bolt 16 which is adapted to enter the eye 15 of the corresponding pole supporting device. The bolt 16 is slidably mounted in a cylinder or tube 17 and projects from the end or head thereof. This bolt is provided with a shoulder or collar 18 near its projecting end. Coiled about the bolt is a spring 19 which is arranged to bear at one end against the collar 18 and at the other end against the centrally perforated head 20 of the cylinder. The spring tends to yieldingly hold the bolt 16 in a forward position with its forward end projecting through a perforation 22 in a keeper 21 provided therefor. The rear end of the bolt 16 projects outside of the head 20 and is preferably provided with an eye or loop to which is attached one end of a cord or other suitable to a swivel 25 which is mounted on a turn buckle 26. This turnbuckle 26 is adjustably attached to a screw 27 which is provided with jam nuts 28 and an eye or looped por tion 29. The screw is pivotally secured to a perforated lug or projection 30 on the hound or frame 2. This lug is located some distance from the pivotal point or hinge 31 of the pole so that the screw will swing eccentrically relatively to the swing of the pole as will be hereinafter more fully explained. Preferably the lug 30 to which the releasing device is attached, is located vertically above the hinge of the pole or slightly rearwardly thereof. Devices are provided to lock the poles in their lowered or draft position. Such devices are well known and it is deemed unnecessary to illustrate or describe the same in detail. However, a portion of a well known type of lock is shown in the drawings. The same comprises a housing 32 in which. is fitted a spring-pressed, sliding bolt 33, "adapted to enter a recess or opening in the hinged. end portion 34 of the pole. For convenience, the cylinder 17 is mounted on a bracket member 35 having upturned end portions. The forward end portion of the bracket is perforated as at 36 into which the tapered nose 37 of the forward cylinder head 38 is adapted to be fitted. The rear end portion of the bracket is bifurcated as at 39 to afford clearance for the rear portion of the bolt 16 and permit the rear of the cylinder 17 to be dropped into position. A strap 40 is provided to securely hold the rear end' of the cylinder. By this arrangement the cylinder heads are held from endwise movement by the upturned end portions of the bracket, and as the tapered nose portion of the forward head fits tightly in the perforated end of the bracket, the strap laced at the rear is sufiicient to hold the cy inder in place.

In practice, it is only necessary to hold one of the poles in raised position to permit the middle horse to get quickly into position. If desired, however, both poles may be raised. In such a case a separate supporting device will be employed for each pole. li hen the horses are in position and the harness placed thereon, the raised pole is pulled down. The cord 5 will be drawn with the pole thereby raising the weight 9 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The pole will, of course, swing from its pivotal point or hinge 31, while the turnbuckle 26 will swing from its pivotal point on the lug 3O eccentrically relatively to pivot 31 and thereby cause a pull upon the eXible connection 23 to the bolt 16. Thus, when the pole reaches a position nearly horizontal, the bolt will by that time be withdrawn from the eye 15 in the weighted tongue 1%. As soon as the tongue is released, the weight 9 drops quickly, thereby raising the weighted tongue 14 out of the way. It will thus be seen that as the catch and its releasing device is carried upon the pole there is nothing left suspended in such a way as to interfere with the removal of the vehicle or apparatus from the house. It is obvious that by adjusting the turnbuckle 26 the flexible connection 23 may be adjusted to the proper length or tension to trip the catch at any desired lowered position of the pole. When it is desired to apply the pole supporting device, it is only necessary to raise the weight 9 until the weighted tongue drops to a position to be conveniently placed in engagement with the bolt 16. Then, in the event that pushed up to the properposition, or, if overbalanced, the weight 9 will pull the pole into raised position.

By the arrangement shown, the flexible connection will become loose or slack when the pole is raised above the position where the spring 19 has moved the'bolt 16 to its forward limit. pivotal points of the pole and end of the flexible connection 23, together with the length of said flexible connection, determines the position of the pole at which the catch is released from the pole supporting device. For practical purposes the release should be effected when the pole is nearly horizontal.

Obviously, a spring may be substituted for the weight 9 and my device admits of other modification, and, therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the construction and arrangement shown.

What 1 claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with the draft gear of a vehicle, of a pole pivotally attached thereto, a catch carried by said pole, a supporting device mounted apart from said vehicle and arranged to, be engaged by said catch and adapted to yieldingly hold said pole a raised position, and means on said vehicle ar ranged to automatically release said catch from said supporting device when said pole is moved to a predetermined lowered position.

2. The combination with the draft gear of a vehicle, of a pole pivotally attached there- The relative position of the to, a catch carried by said pole, a weighted supporting devicean'ounted apart from said supporting device mounted apart from said vehicle and arranged to be engaged by said catch and adapted to yieldingly hold said pole in a raised position, a connecting device attached to said catch and eccentrically mounted relatively to the pivotal point of said pole and arranged to automatically re lease said catch from said supporting device when said pole is moved to a predetermined lowered position.

4. The combination with the draft gear of a vehicle, of a pole pivotally attached there to, a catch carried by said pole, a movable supporting device mounted apart from said vehicle and arranged to be engaged by said catch and adapted to hold said pole in a raised position, an adjustable connecting device attached to said catch and eccentrically mounted relatively to the pivotal point of said pole and arranged to automatically re lease said catch from said supporting device when said pole is moved to a predetermined lowered position.

5. The combination with the draft gear of a vehicle, of a pole pivotally attached thereto, a catch comprising a spring-pressed sliding bolt carried by said pole, a weighted supporting device mounted apart from said veicle and having an eye arranged to be engaged by said bolt and adapted to hold said pole in a raised position, a slack-adjuster mounted on said draft gear eccentrically relatively to the pivotal point of said ole, and a flexible connection between sai slack-adiuster and said bolt, whereby, said bolt is released from said supporting device when said pole is moved to a predetermined lowered position.

6. A draft gear for vehicles comprising a frame, a draft pole pivotally attached thereto, a catch mounted on said pole and adapted to en age a support mounted apart from said vehicle and arranged to be effective when said pole is in a raised position, and a tripping device arranged to automatically render said catch ineffective when said pole is moved to a predetermined lowered position.

7. A draft gear for vehicles comprising a frame, a draft pole pivotally attached thereto, a catch mounted on said pole and adapted to en age a support mounted apart from said vehic e and arranged to be efiective when said pole is in a raised position, and an adjustable connecting device attached to said catch and to said frame whereby said catch may be made effective at different raised positions of said pole, and arranged to automatically render said catch ineffective when said pole is moved to a predetermined lowered position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses this 11th day of January, 1908, at St. Louis, Missouri.

THOMAS HAINES.

Witnesses:

G. A. PENNINGTON, J. B. MEGOWN. 

